Monthly Archives: June 2012

Dramatica Class: Characters – Change or Steadfast?

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Sheldon

The following is excerpted from an online class on story structure presented by co-creator of the Dramatica theory of story, Melanie Anne Phillips, signed on as Dramatica: Dramatica : Dramatica has four very important questions it asks about the Main … Continue reading →

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Creating Characters: “My Hero!”

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Sheldon

We’ve all heard the phrase, “the hero’s journey.” Much has been written about the steps in this journey and the nature of the hero himself. What is usually assumed is that the “hero” is an elemental character who possesses certain … Continue reading →

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Dramatica Class: Character Growth – Start or Stop?

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Sheldon

The following is excerpted from an online class on story structure presented by co-creator of the Dramatica theory of story, Melanie Anne Phillips, signed on as Dramatica: Dramatica : Question 2: about the Main character: Direction…. Start or Stop? This … Continue reading →

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A Story’s Limit: Timelock or Option Lock?

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Sheldon

Dramatica : Now, I’ll jump ahead for a moment and look at a couple of plot questions…. First of all, is your story forced to a conclusion because your characters run out of time, or run out of options? This … Continue reading →

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Complex Characters in “Rear Window”

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Sheldon

Principal Characters in Rear Window If there is anything that can be seen as “typical” about a Hitchcock film it would be his forefront use of thematics. Rear Window is no exception. As with Gone With the Wind, the enjoyment … Continue reading →

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Dramatic Quads & Dramatic Pairs

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Sheldon

In each quad of Elements, we find not only Dynamic (diagonal) Pairs, but horizontal and vertical pairs as well. Horizontal Elements are called Companion Pairs, and vertical Elements are Dependent Pairs. Each kind of pair describes a different kind of … Continue reading →

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The Villain

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Sheldon

A villain is the dramatic antithesis of a hero, and therefore has the following four attributes: He is the Antagonist He is the Influence Character He is second in prominence to the Central Character He is a Bad Guy By … Continue reading →

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